Shelf supporting structure



C.DAUM

SHELF SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed May 24, 1944 ATTORNEY Dec. 19, 1944.

Patented Dec. 19,1944

'UNITED STATES PATENT oPPlcs 2,365,252: l SHELF SUPPORTING ySTRUCTURE Charles Daum, NewYork, N. Y.

Application May 24, 1944, Sral'No. 537,173

6 claims.. (o1. 24e-235') shelf-carrying brackets cannot. bereadily disconnected from their supporting members iwhen.- ever it is necessary or desirable to do so. .For instance, While the shelf may be usually slid sideways out ofthe brackets, this proves sometimes impossible because the shelf fits too snugly in the brackets, or because the mirror is placed in a recess of the Wall which does afford sulficient lateral clearance, or for other reasons, so that in order toA free the shelf it becomes necessary to disconnect the brackets from the mirror. In such cases, the aforementioned conventional structures require that the bracket fastening Ascrews'or bolts: be'removed, and subsequently replaced to reassemble the brackets with the mirror, whichV involved the use of tools and is'. at best inconvenient, and may even result in breaking the shelf when the operation is an unskilled person. v

It is therefore the general object of this 'inperformed by vention to provide novel and improved means for mounting a glass shelf or the like underneath a mirror, wherein the connection 'ofr the shelf-carrying' brackets -with the mirror is entirely independent of bolts, screws or similar fastening means such 'as heretofore employed, the structure comprising instead cooperating elements adapted to beinterconnected in such a manner as to permit of readilyA removing and replacing vthe brackets whenever desired; without the use of'any tools.A

More specically, it is an objectof -the invention to provide shelf-carrying brackets adapted for connection with suitably shaped members associated with the mirror, the brackets being maintained in interlocked relation with these latter members to suspend the shelf below thelmirror in predetermined' position, bythe weight of theshelf itself. f It is a further objectof the-invention to provide supporting members. for the brackets having slots, therein, and means integral with kthe It is a 1 `serious drawback of vthese structures that the brackets adapted to belinserted through said -slots and tobe moved into engagement with surfaces of ysaid supporting members, to connect the brackets, thereto and thereby associate the shelf with the mirror.

These and other objects will become apparent in. the following description of the invention i1- lustrated in the drawing, wherein: Fig.4 1 isa front elevation of a wall mirror and shelf associated. therewith yaccording to -theinvention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational sectional View,

on line 2 2 of Fig., 1; shownsthe construction of thefshelf-carrying brackets and. supporting members therefor, and villustrating themanner in which said brackets andr supportinglmembers are interconnected.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view in elevation, showing isolated one of the members for lsupporting the brackets, and` Fig. 4 ,is a similar View ofv one `of the brackets.

Referring now in details `to the drawing,

I numeralxl indicates a-mirror which is mounted on a base or backing I I, made'of any suitablematerial such as'c'ardboard or wood. The mirror is fastened tothe base in a conventional manner, asl by'means of a plurality of fingers I2 projecting from bars I3 that are-arranged lat the rear of the basel I and are Iprovided with slotted 'ends I 4 adapted to receive wall nails orthe like. .A pair of rigid flat metal members or bars I5 are fastened to the'bars I3 by means of screws or the like, `as shown at I6, and project downwardly from the lower edge of the mirror, a rectangular slot IT being provided in the projecting portion of each bar for the-purpose that will hereafter become apparent. I

`Av shelf! I8', which is preferably made of glass,V

fend whereof isibent, upwardly' andinwardly to fermay lug 22. adapted tol receive. the longitudinalv edge of the shelf; and to prevent displacement of this latterrelative. to the brackets. VOf course., the respectivev length-of the bracket arms 12.0 andZzI determined in relation to.` the width of the` shelf and the desired spacing of this latter with respect to. the lower edge of. the mirror.

Referringnow `in particular'to Figs. 2j and' 4', ,it will -be observed thatfthe vertical arm 2U of each bracket, IQ. is' provided withv an L-shaped member/or lug 23,l which projects from the rear face of `the arm and is y-p1.=:f'ei'ably' formed integral a therewith, as by stamping. The projecting lug 23y is slightly shorter and narrower than the slot I'I of the bars I5, so as to be insertable therethrough, and comprises a laterally extending portion 24 and a substantially resilient portion 25, which extends parallel to the rear face of the arm 20 and is spaced therefrom by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the barsy I5.

To assemble the brackets I9 with their supporting bars I5, it is sucient to insert the lug 23 of eachbracket into the slot ITI` of the respective bar I so as to bring the rearface `of the bracket arm 20 into juxtaposition with the bar,

with the opposed faces in surface engagement,

and subsequently allow the bracket to slide downwardly by gravity, thereby moving the portion 24 of the lug into abutting engagement with the lower edge of the slot I'I andconcurrently bringing the offset portion 25 into surface engagement with the rear face of the bar. I 5, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Since the aforementioned lug portion 25 is resilient, and is spaced from `the bracket arm by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the bar I5, as aforementioned, there will be frictional Contact of the opposite faces of the bar I5 with the lug portion 25 and the rear face of the arm 29; lateral displacement of the brackets relative to the bar is therefore prevented, while the vertical position of the brackets in the assembly is dened by the abutting engagement of the lug portion with the lower edge of the slot II and maintained by the weight kof the brackets and associated shelf.

The brackets` are in this manner readily assembled with their supporting bars and -positioned underneath the mirror, while being locked against accidental displacement during the use of the device, it being evident that they can be, however, readily removed whenever desired by merely shifting them upwardly to bring the lugs 23 into registration with the slots I'I, whereupon .the lugs can be withdrawn from the bars.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided novel and improved means for supporting a shelf underneath a wall mirror that 'are free of the shortcomings inherent in the structures heretofore employed, and which are furthermore economical to manufacture due to the elimination of any separate fastening means and the provision of interconnectable members that can be conveniently produced by stamping operations.

It is to be understood'that while I have described my invention substantially with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, changes and modifications may be made in the structure described and illustrated in the drawing without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a mirror and shelf mounting structure, incombination with a plurality of bars rigidly connected to the mirror and having each a slot therein, a plurality of removable brackets adapted to carry a shelf, each of said brackets having an arm arranged in juxtaposed relation to one of said downwardly extending bars, and a lug projecting laterally of said arm, said lug having a Aportion extending through the slot in the bar mentioned respective positions by the weight of the shelf carried by the bracket.

2. In a mirror and sheif mounting structure, in combination with a pair of bars rigidly connected to the mirror and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said bars having a slot therein, a pair of removable brackets adapted to carry a shelf, each of said brackets having a vertical arm disposed in juxtaposition to one of said downwardly extending bars and a lug formed integral with said arm and projecting laterally thereof, said lug having a portion extending through the slot in the bar in abutting engagement with the lower edge of the slot to connect the bracket to the bar in fixed vertical position relative thereto, and a portion extending parallel to said arm of the bracket in surface engagement with the bar, to prevent lateral displacement of the bracket relative to the bar, said portions of the lug being maintained in the aforementioned respective positions by the weight of the shelf carried by the brackets.

3. In a mirror and shelf mounting structure comprising a plurality of bars rigidly connected to the mirror and having a slot therein, a plurality of shelf-supporting brackets each comprising a vertical arm disposed in juxtaposition to one of said downwardly extending bars and a lug formed integral with said arm and projecting therefrom, said lug having a portion extending through the-slot in the bar and maintained in abutting engagement with the lower edge of the slot by the weight of the shelf carried by the brackets, to connect the bracket to the bar in fixed vertical position relative thereto, said lug also embodying a substantially resilient portion extending parallel to said arm of the rbracket in frictional engagement with the bar, to prevent lateral displacement of the bracket relative to the bar.

4. In a mirror and shelf mounting structure, in combination with a pair of bars rigidly connected to the mirror and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said bars having a slot therein, a pair of removable brackets adapted to carry a shelf, each of said brackets comprising anarm and a lug formed integral with said arm and projecting laterallyv thereof, said lug being insertable through the slot of one of the bars and having portions adapted to engage surfaces of the bar, in a downward movement of the bracket, and effective in cooperation with said arm to lock the bracket in xed predetermined position relative to the bar, said portions being disengageable from said surfaces of the bar in a reverse directional movement of the bracket.

5. A structure for removably mounting a shelf underneath a mirror, comprising bars xed to said mirror and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said bars being provided with a slot, brackets adapted to carry a shelf, each embodying a -vertical arm and a lug projecting from said arm and insertable through the-slot of one of said bars, said lug comprising a laterally extending portion and a downwardly extending portion parallel to the arm and spaced -therefrom by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the bar, whereby when the lug is inserted through the slot to bring the arm of the bracket into juxtaposition with the bar and the bracket is shifted downwardly, the lug abuts against the lower edge of the slot and concurrently' engages the surface of the bar to lock the bracket in predetermined position underneath the mirror.

6. A structure for removably mounting a shelf underneath a mirror, comprising a pair of bars ixe'd to said mirror and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said bars being provided with a slot, a pair of brackets adapted to carry a shelf, each embodying a vertical arm and a lug projecting from said arm and insertable through the arm of the bracket into juxtaposition With the. bar and the bracket is'shifted downwardly, the laterally extending portion of the lug is caused` to abut against the lowerV edge of the slot and the resilient downwardlyA extending portion there'- of is caused to frictionally engage the'surface of the bar, to lock the bracket to the bar in predetermined position underneath the mirror, the lug being disengageable from vthe bar in a re- 10k verse directional movement of the bracket.

. CHARLES DAUM. 

